A Review on External and Internal Treatment for Eli Kadi (Rat Bite) in Selected Siddha Classical Literature

Dr. Gunapriya k^*1 , Dr. Thiruthani M² , Dr. Rajarajeshwari A³

¹ PG Scholar, Department of Nanju Maruthuvam, ² Proffesor Head of the Department, Department of Nanju Maruthuvam, ³ Lecturer, Research Methodology and Biostatistics, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, India.

^* Corresponding Author

ABSTRACT

Siddha system of medicine is a unique system which has been flourished with a wide range of treatment methods and provide definite cure to vast number of diseases. The siddhars had provided us with the knowledge in the field of toxicology and provided the treatment and cure to a wide range of toxins ranging from plant biotoxins to animal biotoxins as such the bites of rats, dogs, spider, scorpion, monkey, snakes, cats etc., in the literature. According to survey report of India by NCBI, about 15 million people are bitten by animals every year and around 25000 - 30000 deaths occurs in India due to animal bites in a year. Rat bite is one among these animal bites, which encounter the rural India as victim. Not all the rat bites cause serious issues but some of the infected rat bites may cause infectious diseases like Rat-bite fever, Plaque, Hanta virus infection, Leptospirosis which may proven as fatal in the history. In this research to explore the world about the ancient Siddha management of Rat Bite. Rats are named as Eli, Mooshika which are 18 in types. This research result was recorded as; 70 plants listed as internal and external medicine by siddha management process. In internal medicine Hard paste ( Karkam), Powder (Chooranam), Decoction (kudineer), Fresh juice (Saaru) was most commonly used and externally Paste (Poochu), Nasal medication (Nassiyam) were most commonly prescribred for the management of Rat bite. The most used plant parts are Root, leaves, barks, seeds, whole plant. Treatment of rat poisoning can be given in the diseases where the source of infection is rat since the symptoms are having similarity. This research concluded as to need a clinical assessment of siddha management in modern scientific way and introducing to global level in future.

KEYWORDS: Eli kadi, Siddha Toxicology, Siddha management, External medicine, Internal medicine, Rat bite diseases.

INTRODUCTION

Siddha system of medicine is a unique system which has been flourished with a wide range of treatment methods and provide definite cure to vast number of diseases. The siddhars had provided us with the knowledge in the field of toxicology as such how the toxins affect the human body and also provided the treatment and cure to a wide range of toxins ranging from plant biotoxins to animal biotoxins as such the bites of rats, dogs, spider, scorpion, monkey, snakes, cats etc., in the literature. According to survey report of India by NCBI, about 15 million people are bitten by animals every year and around 25000 - 30000 deaths occurs in India due to animal bites in a year. Rat bite is one among these animal bites, which encounter the rural India as victim. Not all the rat bites cause serious issues but some of the infected rat bites may cause infectious diseases like Rat-bite fever, Plaque, Hanta virus infection, Leptospirosis which may proven as fatal in the history.

Rats are named as Eli, Mooshika mentioned in Visha Vaithiya Sindhamani and Visha Vaithiya Aaruda Noolgal the ancient Siddha literatures. Rat are eighteen in types as per Siddha text they are Kathiri, Maniyan, Semmookkan, Valli, Kurattai, Karungkaatralaiyan, Vidaveli, Senthalaimuthi, Sevveli, Veengeli, Ularppeli, Thungeli, Pudaiyeli, Eraippeli, Sengkannan, Pulli, Kaadan, Kurungaleli. There are five modes of spread of rat (eli) poison. Semen, faeces, urine, scratches by nails and bites with teeth of rat are poisonous. Rat (eli) semen is the most poisonous and contact with this secretion can cause ill effects by the contamination in semen.

Symptoms of Rat Bite:

Fever with rigor, cough, dysnea, vitiation of blood, wheezing, lumps, pallor, arthralgia, increased body temperature, horripilation, vomiting, salivation, giddiness, loss of taste, thirst, pain at bite site, hoarseness of voice, blackish discoloration, small eruptions on the body.

Incurable Symptoms of Rat Bite:

Fainting, oedema all over the body, skin discoloration, recurrent fever, heaviness of head, excess of salivation, exudation, loss of hearing, haematemesis, urine retention, small nodules over the body resembling rat, body emitting smell of rat.

MODERN ASPECT

The Rattus genus has 64 species worldwide that make up a massive, uncountable population. Rats are from the order Rodentia which are characterized by an uncontrollable urge to gnaw. This is because the rats and others in this order have a pair of upper and lower teeth that grow nonstop, and the gnawing process files back the teeth to a manageable length. If they don’t gnaw frequently, the teeth will grow until they starve to death or are too weak to flee a predator.

Rat , (genus Rattus), the term generally denotes numerous members of several rodent families having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches. (Smaller thin-tailed rodents are just as often referred to as mice.) The brown rat, Rattus norvegicus (also called the Norway rat), and the house rat, R. rattus (also called the black rat, ship rat, or roof rat), live virtually everywhere that human populations have settled; the house rat is predominant in warmer climates, and the brown rat dominates in temperate regions, especially urban areas. The house rat most likely originated in India.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Superfamily: Muroidea

Family: Muridae

Subfamily: Murinae

Genus: Rattus

Rat Distribution:

Rats are found in all of the contiguous 48 states. They are also known to inhabit every land mass. The rat species is the most prolific invasive species worldwide.

Transmission of diseases

Mode of transmission of diseases:

• Faeces, Urine, Saliva, Nail scratch, Bite

Rats are an example of urban pest that transmit disease by several mechanisms, directly by contaminating food with their urine or faeces. Sometimes they transmit disease indirectly, as when fleas bite a disease infected rat, then a person or by biting people. Rat bites may cause local bacterial infection, which have good prognosis. Organisms recovered from bite wounds generally originate from the oral cavity of the biting animal, as well as from the patient's skin flora. Anaerobes have been isolated from bite wound infections, especially those associated with abscess formation.

Brown and house rat have been implicated in the spread of 40 diseases among humans, including bubonic plague, food poisoning, schistosomiasis, murine typhus, tularemia, and leptospirosis. On the other hand, the brown rat has been used in laboratories worldwide for medical, genetic, and basic biological research aimed at maintaining and improving human health. Rats are also kept as pets.

Diseases caused by rats

The common diseases that are caused by rats are:

· Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

· Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome

• Lassa Fever
• Leptospirosis

· Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM)

• Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
• Plague
• Rat-Bite Fever
• Salmonellosis

· South American Arena viruses (Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Sabiá-associated hemorrhagic fever, Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever)

• Tularemia

Treatment:

S.NO	SYMPTOMS OF RAT BITE	MANAGEMENT	TYPE OF MEDICINE
1	Fever with rigor	Powder of Sensanthanam (Santalum album) and Thippili (Piper longum) along with honey	Internal
2	Cough	Powder of Koraikizhangu (Cyperus rotundus) with honey	Internal
3	Wheezing	Hard paste of Nayuruvi (Achyranthes aspera) whole plant	Internal
4	Breathlessness	Hard paste of Sankan (Azima tetracantha) root and kakkatan (Clitoria ternatea) root with milk	Internal
5	Bleeding gums and Toothache	Hard paste of Avuri (Indigofera tinctoria) root with milk for 7 days	Internal
6	Lumps	Powder of Perumaram (Ailanthus excelsa) bark and leaves with butter for 12 days	Internal
7	Increase of body temperature	Powder of Saaranai (Trianthema portulacastrum) root with milk	Internal
8	Arthritic pain of limbs	Powder of Amukkara (Withania somnifera) with honey	Internal
9	Paralysis of limb	Powder of Avuri (Indigofera tinctoria) root and sankan (Azima tetracantha) root	Internal
10	Inflammation of the body and fever	Hard paste of kaakattan (Clitoria ternatea) with butter milk	Internal
11	Oedema over the body	Palm jaggery with 7 drops of vellerukkam (Calotropis gigantean) milk for 7 days	Internal
12	Swelling	Fresh juice of Avuri	External
13	Blackish discoloration, patches	Powder of Aadutheenda paalai(Aristolochia bracteolate) root and sankan (Azima tetracantha) root for 12 days	Internal
14	Development of tumour, Constriction of eye, Ulceration,Itching	Powder of Chitramoolam (Plumbago zeylanica), Sivanarvembu (Indigofera aspalathoides), Kudasappaalai (Holarrhena pubescens), Vellarugu (Enicostema axillare)	Internal
15	Cough, Bronchitis, Congestion, Vomiting	Hard paste of Azhingil (Alangium salviifolium) rootbark for 8 days	Internal
16	Halitosis	Bark and seed of Vaazhai (Musa paradisica) grinded with honey should be given	Internal
17	Hematuria	Manjal (Curcuma longa) and Parpadagam (Mullugo cerviana) grinded with ghee made as hard paste should be given	Internal
18	Stomatitis, Stomach ache, Toothache	Palm jaggery with 8 drops of vellerukkam (Calotropis gigantean) milk for 7 days	Internal
19	Whitish discolaration of body and weakness of the body	Powder of Vaagai (Albizia lebbeck) seeds with honey	Internal
20	Salivation, Burning sensation, Swelling	Powder of Kadugu rogini (Picrorhiza kurroa) and crystal sugar	Internal
21	Blurring of vision	Root of Sirukeerai (Amaranthus tricolor) along with honey	Internal